03 03AU Gridlock
by NewDrWhoFan
Summary: It's "Gridlock" with Rose... 10Rose.
1. Best Laid Plans

Series 3 AU with Rose! This is a sequel to my stories, "The Girl in the Stalking Spaceship", "Age of Bronze", "Lantern Extinguished", "Gravity Schmavity", "Love and Monsters", "Show Her, Tell Her", "Ghost of a Chance", "Doomsday Averted", "Runaway Bride", "The Smiths and Miss Jones", and "The Shakespeare Code".

This is NOT a complete rewrite, but is meant for those who want to re-watch the episode--with Rose.

Thanks so much to GSRgirlforever and NotTheTinDog for stepping up to beta for me!

Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, I own neither Doctor Who nor Harry Potter. Nor do I get anything from writing these stories--except wonderful, constructive reviews! Wink, wink; nudge, nudge ;)

--

Chapter 1, Best Laid Plans

Although the Doctor had completed his TARDIS-tinkering, he'd been informed in no uncertain terms by Rose and Martha that they weren't going anywhere until they'd finished their movie marathon. Considering that still left four more _Harry Potter_ films, Rose had suggested he could take care of dinner.

The Doctor returned to the console room, actually pleased with having some extra time alone. He searched through the TARDIS' memory banks, looking for the perfect spot. Yes, dinner was a good idea, but he needed something more. He was tired of putting things off. He _was _going to propose to Rose.

Hmm. Propose to Rose. Had a nice ring to it, he thought.

Although, married to Rose had much better implications.

He continued to scroll through, finally stopping on what he thought would be quite a suitable location. New New York. Oh, that was good. The first place he'd taken Rose after his regeneration--their first kiss as the new him, although he still didn't know if she remembered, and he really tried not to recall that Cassandra had been responsible for it.

Regardless, the city had plenty to offer, including fantastic restaurants, and Rose _had_ asked for dinner. It was a perfectly reasonable excuse to return to New Earth.

They could dine atop one of the towers, or he could find that nice, grassy hill where they'd lain before. He'd give Martha a chance to wander, getting Rose on her own, and he'd pull out the ring--the real ring, not the ones they were still wearing from the hospital.

He loved that she was still wearing hers. It gave him just that little extra boost of courage for what he had planned.

Eventually, Rose and Martha strolled into the console room, smiling and talking about the movies. Rose walked up next to the Doctor and asked, "So, what's for dinner?"

"I thought we could go out for dinner," he told her. Turning to Martha, he said, "I did say 'just one trip', one trip in the TARDIS and then home. Although . . . I suppose we could . . . stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?" Yes, he'd make it seem like it was all for Martha's benefit. Keep Rose completely in the dark until the time was just right.

"No complaints from me!" Martha replied, obviously thrilled. Rose seemed just as pleased to keep their new friend around a bit longer.

"How about a different planet?" the Doctor suggested.

"Can we go to yours?" Martha asked eagerly.

The Doctor felt Rose's arm tighten around his own. He looked down at the console, and answered evasively, "Ahh, I've got someplace better in mind. Great restaurants."

"Come on, though! I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?"

Not the topic the Doctor wanted to broach at all. Still, "Well, it's beautiful, yeah," he told her.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" she continued.

"Suppose it is," he replied. She was so excited at the idea, he couldn't find it in himself to crush her notions.

"Great big temples and cathedrals?" she went on.

"Martha," Rose said, at last. Wonderful Rose.

"Yeah?" Martha asked.

"It's not--" Rose began, but looked at the Doctor before continuing. "It _was_ a perfectly incredible world," she explained. "But we can't go there."

Martha seemed to catch her meaning, because she quietly asked, "Why not?"

The Doctor cleared his throat, and took over for Rose. "The Time War," he said, looking at Martha, and maneuvering his hand to hold Rose's. "It was destroyed. Doesn't exist anymore."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Martha almost whispered.

"It's okay," he said cheerily, "all in the past, right? That usually being relative, I know," he added, forcing a smile for the girls' sakes. "Anyway, like I said, I've got something much better in mind," he said, moving around the console, flying the TARDIS to the coordinates he'd input earlier. "Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth!"

"Really?" asked Rose, smiling.

"Really, really! Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New--"

"New New New New New--" Rose continued.

"New New New New New York," they finished together.

"One of the most dazzling cities ever built," the Doctor said, beaming at Rose as the TARDIS stilled. He took a fraction of a moment to marvel at how Rose could make him so happy, so easily, even moments after discussing the Time War.

He threw on his overcoat, and moved to open the TARDIS doors for Martha and Rose to exit ahead of him. He pulled an arrow out of the door and tossed it into the console room, before following the girls outside.

Unfortunately for his plans of wining and dining, it was pouring rain.

He heard Rose's sharp intake of breath as she and Martha zipped up their jackets. He barely made out Martha's sarcastic "dazzling" over the pounding of the raindrops.

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone," the Doctor said, trying to make light of the inconvenience. "Come on, let's get under cover!" he said, leading Rose and Martha to a covered alcove further down the alley in which they'd landed.

"Well, it looks like the same old earth to me," Martha observed as they reached the shelter in front of a computer terminal, "on a Wednesday afternoon."

"Definitely not like last time," Rose supplied, shaking out her hair.

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look," the Doctor told them. Sonic'ing the terminal, he brought up the image of an anchorwoman giving the traffic report.

"--And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway," she reported. The display shifted to reveal the familiar image of New New York, a gorgeous, spired city, glistening in the sun, on the coast of a large river, with sleek, flying vehicles zooming in the air.

"Oh, that's more like it!" said the Doctor. "That's the view we had last time. This must be the lower levels," he added, looking around. "Down in the base of the towers, some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha asked, but the Doctor could tell she was teasing.

"Much more interesting!" he answered. "It's all cocktails and glitter up there," he said, jerking his thumb back at the image on the screen. "This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything," Rose told him, taking his hand after he pocketed the sonic screwdriver.

"That's me," he grinned at her. He looked out at the alley. "Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!" he said, leading the girls out from under the shelter. And better still, he thought, would be if they could work their way up to the cocktails and glitter . . . .

--

To be continued.

And yes, I know there are only seven _Harry Potter_ books, but rumor has it they're gonna split Year Seven into two films.


	2. Carjacked

Chapter 2, Carjacked

Rose found it hard to believe that this was the same New Earth she'd visited with the Doctor. She'd watched in disbelief as a woman bought herself some "forget", instantly going from depressed and downcast to serene and indifferent.

When the Doctor had tried to question her about her parents--gone to the motorway, she'd said--she couldn't care in the least. "That's nice," she'd told him.

Rose watched now, as that very woman walked back down the street, off into her own little world.

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future," Martha observed. "Off their heads on chemicals."

Rose couldn't see how it was much of an improvement over the thousands of human guinea-pigs they'd rescued from the hospital.

A sudden shriek pulled her attention away from the woman, and Rose turned to see the barrel of a gun. Another woman was pointing the weapon between her and the Doctor, while a kicking and screaming Martha was being dragged down the street by a man who had his arm around her neck.

"I'm sorry," the man shouted to them. "I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all."

Three? thought Rose, as she and the Doctor slowly followed after them, cautious in the face of the woman who still had the gun trained on them as she backed away with her accomplice.

"No, let her go!" ordered the Doctor. "I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help. All of us, we can help. But first you've got to LET HER GO!"

"I'm sorry," echoed the woman, as the man and Martha disappeared around a corner. "I'm really sorry. Sorry." She continued backing away, seeming on the verge of tears, until she, too, ducked around the corner and vanished.

Rose and the Doctor immediately ran after them. The Doctor sonic'ed his way through a locked door, but the kidnappers were already lost to sight.

Still, they ran, not seeing any obvious turn-offs from the corridor they were in. They finally came out onto what looked to Rose like a fire escape, just in time to see a flying car rising into the air.

"Martha!" the Doctor yelled, as the vehicle sped off down a small alleyway and out of sight.

He spun back to Rose, hands pulling at his hair in frustration. "Back we go," he said, reaching down for her hand, and led her back the way they'd come until they were once again in the alley with the street vendors.

"Used to be thriving in this place," bemoaned one of the vendors when the Doctor questioned them. "You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end."

Rose piped up. "He kept on saying three, we need three," she said, looking between the vendors and the Doctor. "What did he mean, three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel," answered the first. "You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

"This motorway," the Doctor asked, "how do we get there?"

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it." Rose and the Doctor didn't waste a second, turning and leaving the vendors behind them, despite the calls of, "Tell you what--how 'bout some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love!"

The Doctor made to turn back, but Rose kept a firm grip on his hand as she kept moving. "Martha first, yeah?" she said. "Then we can come back and take care of this lot."

The Doctor grumbled something under his breath, but picked up his pace until they were running towards the motorway.

--

Martha groggily came to, finding herself on a shelf or bed in what she assumed was the car she'd been dragged to. Her kidnappers were chatting away, sitting behind the dashboard, oblivious to her.

She reached up, peeling away the sticker they'd placed on her neck. "Sleep", it said. She threw it to the floor in disgust. Looking around the interior, she spotted the woman's gun sitting atop a computer monitor. She snatched it up, and pointed it at the kidnappers.

"Take me back," she demanded. "Whoever you are, just take me back to my friends. That's all I want. I won't cause any trouble. Just take me back!"

The kidnappers didn't exactly seem concerned. "I'm sorry," said the woman. They seemed to like saying that, thought Martha. "That's not a real gun."

"Yeah, well, you would say that," Martha replied, keeping the gun steady.

"Where do you get a gun from, these days?" the woman asked. "I wouldn't even know how to fire."

Martha looked at the gun again, realizing that, fake or not, she wouldn't either. "No, nor me," she said, lowering the weapon. "Okay."

"What's your name?" the woman asked, in a surprisingly friendly tone considering the situation.

"Martha. Martha Jones," she answered, moving to join them at the front of the car.

"Well, I'm Cheen, and this is Milo," the woman told her. "And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friends."

Sounded simple enough. "Seriously?" Martha asked.

"I swear! Look--" Cheen pulled back her hair to show Martha the sticker on her own neck. "Honesty patch," she said.

"All the same, that's still kidnapping!" Martha argued, but found herself liking the woman. "Where are we, anyway?" she asked.

They told her about the motorway, and how they were leaving Pharmacy Town for Brooklyn because they were expecting. She was surprised when they said it's only ten miles away, and even more astonished when they told her it was going to take six years.

"Nope. Sorry. Hold on," Martha said. "Six years? Ten miles in six years? How come?"

--

To be continued.


	3. Rescue of the Rescuers

Chapter 3, Rescue of the Rescuers

The Doctor sonic'ed the "MOTORWAY ACCESS" door and the lock opened with a loud clang. He opened the door, stepping through onto a platform with Rose.

She instantly began coughing and choking in the smoke-filled atmosphere, and even he couldn't help but be affected by what seemed to be exhaust from the thousands of flying cars arrayed before them, barely moving.

The door of the car in front of them opened, a figure cloaked in protective gear leaning out to call to them.

"Hey! You daft little street struts! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!" He gestured for them to enter the car.

The Doctor nodded to Rose through his coughs when she looked to him from behind her sleeve. With a short running start, she jumped the distance into the car, the Doctor following close behind.

"Did you ever see the like?" muttered their rescuer, sliding the door closed. "Just standing there, breathing it in!"

A woman in the car handed an oxygen mask to Rose. "Here you go," she said. After a few breaths, Rose handed it to the still-coughing Doctor. He accepted it gratefully.

The man pulled off his goggles, cap, and scarf, revealing himself to be a cat, just like Novice Hame and the other Sisters they'd met before at the hospital.

"There's this story," he told them, "says back in the old days, on Junction Forty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"

The Doctor passed the oxygen mask back to Rose as the woman slapped the cat gentleman on the arm. "Oh, you're making it up," she said dismissively.

The Doctor watched the banter amusedly as the couple moved to the driver's and passenger's seats, all the while checking on Rose and trying to clear his own system of the noxious fumes.

The woman suddenly tapped the man on the arm. "Bran, we're moving!"

He turned to the controls. "Right. I'm there. I'm on it." He threw a lever, the car lurching ahead. Horns sounded from the vehicles surrounding them, and after only a couple of seconds the car drew to a halt. "Twenty yards!" the man exclaimed. "We're having a good day."

The man and woman smiled at each other, then turned back to the Doctor and Rose.

"And who might you be?" the man asked them. "Very well-dressed for hitchhikers."

Rose had just given the oxygen mask back to the Doctor, so she answered for them. "Um, thanks. I'm Rose, and this is the Doctor."

"Medical man! Ha-ha!" the man laughed. "My name's Thomas Kincaid Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie," he said, indicating the woman.

"Nice to meet you," said Valerie.

"Likewise," managed the Doctor, finally finished with the oxygen. He handed it back to Rose, but she set it aside on a shelf.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you," Brannigan said, pointing over the Doctor's shoulder.

He turned and drew a curtain, revealing a basket of mewling kittens. He could have sworn one of them said "Mama."

"Aww, that's nice," he said, crouching down with Rose beside the basket.

"They're so sweet!" Rose said, as the Doctor picked one up to place in her arms.

"Hello," he told another that stumbled over to him, and he picked it up, letting it nuzzle against his chest.

Rose was just beaming at him. "Not so bad, after all, huh?" she teased.

He remembered the last comment he'd made about cats, and although he was willing to change his opinion, he wasn't about to admit it. He stood, turning back to their hosts, the kitten still in his arms. "How old are they?" the Doctor asked.

"Just two months," said Valerie.

"Poor little souls," said Brannigan. "They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway."

Rose stood up as well. "What, they were born in here?" she asked.

"We couldn't stop," said Valerie. "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

"What?" the Doctor asked, finding it difficult to believe he was hearing right. "You've been driving for two months?"

"Do I look like a teenager?" asked Brannigan. "We've been driving for twelve years now."

--

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."

Rose couldn't believe it. The police had put them on hold.

The Doctor moved away from the terminal, up to Brannigan and Valerie. "Is there anyone else?" he asked them. "I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" Brannigan asked.

Rose chuckled. If he only knew.

"We've got to find our friend," the Doctor persisted.

"You can't make outside calls," Valerie said. "The motorway's completely enclosed."

Calls, calls, thought Rose. "Doctor, what if she's got her mobile?" she asked.

"Genius!" said the Doctor, coming back to her, and holding out his hand. "Let me see yours."

"I never got her number," Rose supplied.

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor told her, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and applying it to the phone. "Her phone'll be the only communications device operating in your frequency range, so all we need to do--"

Rose could hear ringing coming from the earpiece, and the Doctor moved the mobile to his ear. "Martha?!" he asked, when someone obviously picked up. "You're alright? No, fine, where are you? Which car? Four six five diamond six. Fast lane. Martha? Martha? What is that?" He paused, and Rose could see the anxiety in his face. "Martha?!"

Rose was almost sure she'd heard screaming.

"Her battery's dead," the Doctor said, shutting off the phone and handing it back to Rose. "We've got to go to the fast lane," he said, turning to Brannigan. "Take us down."

"Not in a million years," Brannigan told him.

"You've got more than three passengers!" Rose pointed out.

"I'm still not going," Brannigan insisted.

"She's alone, and she's lost," the Doctor pleaded. "She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan--take us down."

"That's a no. And that's final," Valerie told them. "I'm not risking the children down there."

"Why not?" asked Rose, surprised at the obvious terror in Valerie's voice, and wondering what could be happening to Martha right now.

"What's the risk?" asked the Doctor. "What happens down there?"

"We're not discussing it!" exclaimed Valerie. "The conversation is closed!"

"So we keep on driving," said the Doctor.

"Yes, we do," replied Brannigan.

"For how long?" the Doctor asked.

"'Til the journey's end." Brannigan said.

The Doctor turned and paced back towards Rose, obviously as frustrated as she felt. Finally, he squatted down in the middle of the car, pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

"If you won't take us, I'll go down on my own," he said, running the screwdriver over what looked like a floor hatch.

"Doctor?" Rose asked. Just how was he going to do that? And what did he mean, on his own?

"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan asked, as the hatch clicked.

"Finding my own way. I usually do," answered the Doctor, lifting the hatch.

"Capsule open," reported a computerized voice.

"Doctor, what're you doin'?" Rose asked, as they looked down through the opening at the cars below.

He shrugged out of his overcoat, handing it to Rose. "I'll be back for that," he told her. "I love that coat," he said, seemingly momentarily distracted as he looked at it. "Janis--"

"Janis Joplin gave you this coat, yeah, I know," Rose said, still not happy that he was clearly trying to leave her behind.

"Keep trying the police," he said, looking down nervously. So, he had his reasons for leaving her, but still. "Oh, and--" He reached over, pulling Rose into a kiss.

Quite a kiss!

When he at last pulled away, he just looked at her for a long moment. "Here goes," he said, as a car pulled to a stop immediately below.

Rose bit her tongue, tamping down on thoughts of final words.

Valerie called to him, as he dangled his legs through the opening. "But you can't jump!"

"If it's any consolation, Valerie," he said, "right now, _I'm_ having kittens."

"This Martha," Brannigan said, "she must mean an awful lot to you."

"Hardly know her," he said, watching the traffic below. He looked up at Rose. "Bye then!" he said, and slid through the hatch.

Rose watched with relief as he landed safely, and started to work on the car's top hatch with the sonic.

"He's completely insane!" Valerie exclaimed.

"Yeah," agreed Rose.

"That, and a bit magnificent!" Brannigan added in awe.

Rose watched the Doctor jump down into the car. "That, too," she said, smiling despite herself.

--

To be continued.


	4. Motorway Foot Patrol

Chapter 4, Motorway Foot Patrol

The Doctor worked his way down through the levels of cars, marveling at the various ways people had set up their little motor homes for this life on the road. But his thoughts were mainly on Martha, wondering what she was facing at the moment, and of course on Rose.

That kiss may have been just a bit desperate. He hadn't actually been sure he was going to make it this far, to what now looked like the last level before the express lane. In fact, he still wasn't sure.

He'd survived the jumps, but the fumes were really starting to get to him, despite the bandana he'd acquired several levels ago.

With relief, he sonic'ed the hatch of--hopefully--the last car open, and fell in.

"Capsule open," reported the computer.

The driver whirled to face him. "'Scuse me, is that legal?" he asked.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol--" the Doctor began, reciting his now well-practiced spiel. However, a coughing fit stopped him short. "Whatever. Have you got any water?" he asked, hoarsely.

--

Back in Valerie's and Brannigan's car, Rose continued to wait on hold with the police, thinking worriedly of both Martha and the Doctor.

She knew just what it was like to be in Martha's shoes, ages from home, her only hope a relative stranger. And she had to admit, she admired the Doctor for what he'd done, once more risking his life for the sake of his companion, even one he hardly knew.

But that didn't mean she had to like it, even if she did get a toe-curling kiss before he'd left this time.

All of a sudden, a loud creak sounded, sparks flying from the ceiling. Rose backed towards the cockpit, trying to avoid the shower.

"Just what we need," said Brannigan from behind her. "Pirates!"

"I'm calling the police!" said Valerie.

"Yeah," said Rose, watching as the top hatch fell inward. "Good luck with that." She'd only been trying for the past who knew how long.

Another cat-person, this time dressed in a nun's wimple, poked her head down through the hatch, pointing a gun at the three of them. "The Doctor. Where is he?!" she demanded.

"You know him?" Rose asked.

The pirate looked at her, and then lowered herself fully into the car, dropping to the floor on all fours. "Yes. And I know you, Rose Tyler," she said as she straightened.

Rose's mouth fell open as recognition dawned on her.

--

The Doctor worked with the sonic screwdriver, fiddling with the wiring of the car's front console, trying to trip the ventilation system. "That's it!" he exclaimed, moving back to the car's bottom hatch. "Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look." He and the car's driver stared down into the clearing fumes.

"What are those shapes?" the driver asked.

The Doctor watched, as huge, snapping claws materialized before his eyes. "They're alive," the Doctor told him.

"What the hell are they?" he asked.

The creatures were now fully visible, with their crablike bodies and glowing eyes. "Macra," the Doctor answered. "The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better," he explained. "They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

The driver shook his head. "They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me."

"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions," said the Doctor with a sigh, closing the bottom hatch. "They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and my friend's down there."

A clank sounded from the top of the car, and the Doctor looked up to see feet dangling down from the hatch through which he'd entered.

"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!" exclaimed the driver.

"I've invented a sport!" the Doctor said proudly, as the visitor dropped to her feet before him.

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find," she told him.

"No guns!" said the driver emphatically, pointing to her weapon. "I'm not having guns!"

"I only brought this in case of pirates," she told him, and turned back to the Doctor. "Doctor, you've got to come with me."

"Do I know you?" he asked. He'd had some experience with the Sisters, but that was years ago for them.

"You haven't aged at all," she said. "Time has been less kind to me."

It finally clicked, that face, that voice, "Novice Hame!" he exclaimed, hugging her. Then he remembered better. "No, hold on, get off," he said, holding her at arm's length. "Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation," he accused.

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance," she said. "And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself."

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her. "You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if my friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!" He hated having to admit to the "if" in that sentence, but there was no way he'd leave before he'd found out for certain.

"You've got to come with me right now!" she told him, more urgently.

But the Doctor wasn't having it. "No, no, no, you're coming with me. We've got three passengers now."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine." She grabbed his wrist, and pressed a button on the wristband she was wearing. "Transport," she ordered into the device.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" the Doctor shouted, just before he was blinded by a white light.

--

To be continued.


	5. Save Them

Chapter 5, Save Them

Rose closed the car's bottom hatch, having watched Novice Hame successfully leap to the next car down.

"The Face of Boe," she said, half to herself.

"And what would that be?" asked Brannigan.

"Oh, you know," Valerie told him. "Haven't you heard the stories? He's supposed to be the oldest living thing in the galaxy. Thousands of years old, they say."

"Rubbish," scoffed Brannigan.

"Millions," Rose corrected. "I've met him, once. Well, twice, but I wasn't really myself the second time."

Brannigan gave her a strange look, but she ignored it.

"But he called us here before," she said, picking up the Doctor's coat and digging in the pockets. "With the psychic paper," she added. "Got it!" she exclaimed, producing the small, black wallet.

"Psychic--" began Brannigan.

"Never mind," Rose said, sitting in front of the terminal which still displayed the hold message from the police.

She opened the wallet, and stared at the blank page. She remembered how the Face of Boe had called them to New Earth once before, when he'd thought he was dying. Now, he was searching for the Doctor again. Or, rather, he'd sent Novice Hame to search for him. What was going on?

She focused, and slowly she made the words _'The Face of Boe'_ appear.

Then they vanished, replaced by, _'Hello, Rose Tyler.'_

She shivered, eerily reminded of that scene in the--was it the second?--_Harry Potter_ movie, with the diary. She shook herself, and asked, _'You know me?'_

_'Yes, I know you, Rose, better than you know me, just yet. But that is my past--and your future.'_

Okay, so he knew about her traveling with the Doctor. And it looked like they'd be meeting again. But that still didn't explain what was going on.

The answer came before she even "wrote" the words. '_Only the Doctor can save them_,' he told her. '_I don't have the strength. I could only protect them, but I cannot free them.'_

_'Who?' _she asked.

The response didn't come at first, and it appeared only slowly when at last it did. '_The under-city_,' he said.

So, it was worse than just a never-ending traffic jam. _'What can I do?' _Rose thought to him.

_'Dear, sweet Rose.' _She thought she could feel his smile along with the words. '_Nothing, for now. I will see you again, when the Doctor comes. When the Doctor saves them.' _

Nothing? Great, thought Rose, he just wants her to sit on hold, too.

_'I cannot--'_

Rose watched as the words disappeared, then were replaced.

_'I must go_,' he said, _'but Rose, thank . . . .'_

She watched intently. He seemed to be having difficulty forming the words, and she was afraid she was losing the connection. Then, a message appeared.

_'Never regret saving a life.'_

--

Martha couldn't help her own scream as the car was jolted again. She'd been kidnapped, had a dead cell phone, and was now being chased by monsters in the dark.

So much for a relaxing dinner on New Earth, she thought sarcastically.

"Go faster!" Cheen yelled, as another buffet shook the car.

"I'm at top speed!" yelled Milo back at her.

"No access above," the computer calmly reported.

"But this is an emergency!" Milo shouted into the transmitter.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold," the voice responded.

Okay, so they couldn't go up, and they couldn't dodge the whatever-it-was forever. One thing to do. "Turn everythin' off," Martha told Milo.

He shook his head. "You've got to be joking."

"No, listen," she urged. "It's all fog out there, so how can they see us? Maybe it's the engines, the sound, or the heat, or the light--I don't know! Turn everythin' off. They might not be able to find us."

"What if you're wrong?" Milo challenged.

"It can't be worse than this!" Martha shouted, at yet another scraping, jostling impact. "Just do it!"

He did it.

There was sudden silence. "They've stopped," Cheen half-whispered.

"Yeah, but they're still out there," observed Milo.

"How did you think of that?" Cheen asked, turning to Martha.

She almost laughed. "I saw it on a film," she answered. "They used to do it in submarines. Trouble is, I can't remember what they did next."

--

"There's always the Doctor," Martha said, breaking the silence. "That friend of mine. He might think of something."

They'd been sitting in the car for what felt like ages, although Martha knew it could only have been about five or six minutes. The air was getting noticeably staler. They would have to start the engines again, soon.

"Martha, no one's coming," Milo told her.

"But he knows where we are," Martha countered. She'd gotten that much information to him before her battery had died. "And you don't know him; I've watched him saved the world."

"He looked kind of nice," Cheen observed.

Martha couldn't help but smile at her "nice". "He's a bit more than that," she said.

"Are you and him . . . ?" asked Cheen.

She laughed out loud at that. "Sorry," Martha said, regaining her composure. "But if you'd seen him and Rose--that's my other friend--if you'd seen them together for more than a couple of seconds, no way you'd've bothered askin'."

Cheen nodded her head, quiet for a while longer. Then, "I never even asked. Where's home?"

"It's a long way away," said Martha. Further than you could imagine, she thought.

She remembered the night of the party, everyone storming off after her Dad, while Rose and the Doctor whisked her away.

"I didn't really think," she admitted. "I just followed the Doctor, and--they don't even know where I am. My Mum and Dad," she explained, the realization hitting her. "If I died here, they'd never know."

"So, um, who is he, then? This Doctor?"

"I don't know. Well, not really," Martha answered honestly. She thought about that morning, only just discovering his entire planet had been destroyed. "There's so much he never says."

"But that means that the only hope, right now is . . . a complete stranger," said Cheen. "Well, that's no use!"

"It is, though, because you haven't seen the things he can do!" Martha told her. True, there was so much she didn't know about the Doctor, but she knew enough. "Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns. And I've got the Doctor." And she meant it. Just like that, Martha realized there wasn't a doubt in her mind that her friends were doing everything they could to save her.

"Right," said Milo, starting the car's engine.

"Systems back on line," reported the computer.

Milo and Cheen gave each other's hands a squeeze. "Good luck," said Milo.

"And you," said Martha.

As soon as she'd spoken, the car was jostled again, and Milo began to duck and dodge through the smog. them.

--

The Doctor picked himself up off the floor. "Oh! Rough teleport. Ow," he said, straightening. He turned at once to Novice Hame. "But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha," he demanded.

"I only had the power for one trip, just enough to bring you back with me," she told him.

"Then get some more!" he ordered. He looked around, hoping to find a power source. "Where are we?" he asked.

"High above, in the over-city," she told him.

"Good! 'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!"

"But you're inside the Senate, right now," she said.

The Doctor looked up at her words, taking in the rows of benches arrayed on risers around them. They were littered with skeletons.

"May the goddess Santori bless them," Novice Hame prayed. "They died, Doctor. The city died," she told him.

"How long's it been like this?" he asked, subdued by the discovery.

"Twenty-four years," she answered.

The Doctor moved towards a nearby skeleton, lying on the ground, and knelt next to it. "All of them? Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical. A new mood," Novice Hame explained, joining him. "They called it Bliss," she said, reaching out to remove the small, plastic label from the skeleton's neck. "Everyone tried it," she went on. "They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished--even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

They both stood. "So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" the Doctor asked.

"There's not enough power to get them out," said Novice Hame. "We did all we could to stop the system from choking."

"Who's 'we'? How did you survive?" He asked.

"He protected me," she replied. "And he has waited for you, these long years."

A low, grumbling voice called out, "Doctor."

He turned, immediately recognizing the Face of Boe. Rushing over to his tank, the Doctor knelt to speak to him. "The Face of Boe," he said, amazed.

"I knew you would come," the Face of Boe told him.

"Back in the old days," Novice Hame explained, "I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins."

The Doctor looked intently at the ancient creature. "Old friend, what happened to you?"

"Failing," he answered, weakly.

Novice Hame went on. "He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."

"So he saved them," guessed the Doctor.

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe," she confirmed. "He's giving his life force just to keep things running."

"But there are planets out there," the Doctor argued. "You could have called for help."

Novice Hame shook her head. "The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."

"So the two of you stayed here--on your own, for all these years?" he asked, rhetorically.

"We had no choice," said Novice Hame.

The Doctor reached out, touching her shoulder. "Yes, you did," he said, all earlier mistrust and ire gone.

"Save them, Doctor," the Face of Boe begged. "Save them."

--

To be continued.


	6. Goodbye Old Friend

Chapter 6, Goodbye Old Friend

The Doctor worked frantically, sonic screwdriver in hand, trying to find some way to free the trapped millions from the motorway and the rest of the under-city.

"The transformers are blocked," he muttered, frustrated. "The signal can't get through."

"Doctor . . ." called the Face of Boe.

"Yeah, hold on, not now," the Doctor replied as he tried another circuit.

"I give you my last . . . " the Face of Boe rasped out, a long breath escaping his lips.

The control consoles all suddenly switched on, functional and fully-powered. "Hame, look after him!" the Doctor ordered.

He leapt up, moving quickly to the main control switch.

"Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this," he said, throwing the switch as Novice Hame moved to tend the Face of Boe. "The open road. Hah!" the Doctor exclaimed, opening the massive doors which covered the motorway.

--

Rose looked up, hearing a resounding bang from somewhere above them in the motorway.

Brannigan jumped, startled. "What in Jehovah was that?"

"It's coming from above!" said Valerie, looking out through the windshield, and covering the basket of kittens she was now holding in her lap.

Rose moved forward, leaning between the two seatbacks, trying to see for herself. She strained to see through the exhaust. High above the levels and levels of cars, she could just make out a widening strip of light.

"By all the cats in the kingdom!" exclaimed Brannigan, as shafts of sunlight streamed into the motorway.

"What is it?" asked Valerie.

Brannigan began laughing, and Rose gladly joined in. "I'd say that's the Doctor doing what he does best," she said.

Realization hit, and Valerie gasped. "It's the sun! Oh, Brannigan!" She pulled the blanket off of the kittens. "Children, it's the sunlight!" she said happily, as they purred.

The screen on the dashboard buzzed into life, and Rose actually squealed when the Doctor's face appeared.

"Sorry, no Sally Calypso," the Doctor said, "she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor."

"He's a magician," said Brannigan, shaking his head in awe.

"He's the Doctor," Rose repeated, grinning.

"And this is an order," continued the Doctor. "Everyone drive up. Right now."

"Is he serious?" asked Brannigan.

Valerie just laughed, obviously elated.

"Yeah," Rose told him. "He's opened the doors up there; do it!"

"I've opened the roof of the motorway," the Doctor confirmed. "Come on, throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast!"

"Here we go," said Brannigan, obediently piloting the car.

"We've got to clear that fast lane," encouraged the Doctor. "Drive up and get out of the way. Oi! Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Martha! Drive up! You've got access above! Now go!"

Brannigan reached for the transmitter, as Valerie cuddled their kittens. "Did I tell you, Doctor? You're not bad, sir. You're not bad at all!" he called. As they drove higher and higher, he startled Rose with a sudden, "Yee-hah!"

"You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up!" the Doctor told them. "'Cause it's here, just waiting for you. The city of New New York. And it's yours. And don't forget, you've got a friend of mine on board. Rose?"

She reached over, accepting the transmitter from Brannigan. "I'm here, Doctor!" she told him.

"I want that coat back," he said with a grin.

They all laughed, as the display registered a flight path, directing them to the Senate of New New York.

"Here you go, Brannigan," said the Doctor's image. "And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate."

Rose was relieved to hear Martha's voice answer, "On my way!"

--

Rose stepped out into the sunlight atop the Senate's landing platform, having said her goodbyes to Valerie, Brannigan and the kittens. She caught Martha's eye as she disembarked from a car on the far side, and they met in a relieved hug at the Senate entrance.

"Come on then," Rose told her, shifting the Doctor's coat over her arm, and leading the way into the building.

As they walked into the darkened structure, Rose's relief faded quickly into caution. Especially when she spotted the first skeleton. "Doctor?" she called out, hesitantly.

"Over here," came his voice from across the room.

She and Martha perked back up, running over to meet him. Rose slowed to a walk, when she found him kneeling beside the Face of Boe, the remnants of his tank surrounding them. "Oh, no," she breathed.

"What's that?" asked Martha.

"It's the Face of Boe," Rose said, walking slowly up to him.

The Doctor smiled at her, then turned back to Martha. "It's all right. Come and say hello. And this is Hame," he said, gesturing at the nurse. "She's a cat. Don't worry."

Rose gently put her hand on one of the Face of Boe's tendrils.

"He's the one that saved you," explained the Doctor. "Not me."

"My lord gave his life to save the city," said Novice Hame. Martha knelt next to her. "And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that," said the Doctor. "Not old Boe. Plenty of life left."

"It's good to breathe the air once more," the Face of Boe said.

"Who is he?" asked Martha, quietly.

"I don't even know," said the Doctor. "Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right?" he asked him. "And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time," he replied. "You know that, old friend, better than most."

Rose shuddered, remembering several times the Doctor and even she had said words to that effect.

"The legend says more," Novice Hame interjected.

"Don't," said the Doctor. "There's no need for that."

But she persisted. "It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveler."

Rose looked to the Doctor, but he brushed Novice Hame's words off. "Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?"

"I have seen so much," said the Face of Boe. "Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind--as you are the last of yours, Doctor."

Rose saw Martha look up at the Doctor at that. Rose dropped the Doctor's coat behind her, shifting closer to him.

"That's why we have to survive," the Doctor said, emotion obvious in his voice. "Both of us. Don't go," he pleaded.

"I must," he replied, heavily. "But know this, Time Lord: you are not alone."

Rose was taken aback by that. She glanced at the Doctor and saw the shock evident in his face, as well.

The Face of Boe let out a last, long breath, and closed his eyes, and Rose heard Novice Hame's quiet sobs.

They were all still for a long moment, until Martha slowly got to her feet. Rose took the Doctor's hand, and could tell he was even more deeply wrapped in thought than she was. As they stood, she wondered what the Face of Boe could have meant. He couldn't mean her and Martha--they were right there with him. That was no secret. He'd said that he and the Doctor were the last of their kinds--but that the Doctor was not alone.

As confused as she thought she'd ever been, Rose walked with the Doctor, following Martha out of the building.

--

To be continued.


	7. Last of the Time Lords

Chapter 7, Last of the Time Lords

They managed to hitchhike their way back to Pharmacy Town, having sent the first five cars on their way when the drivers were unwilling to venture back into the under-city just yet.

The Doctor looked around at the deserted street, not a mood vendor in sight. "All closed down," he observed.

"Happy?" asked Martha, with a knowing smile.

"Happy happy," he answered. Rose laughed at his side. He took just a moment to soak in that sound, pushing his swirling thoughts from earlier to the back of his mind. "New New York can start again," he told them. "And they've got Novice Hame," he said, with a tug on Rose's hand. "Just what every city needs--cats in charge!" he told her with a wink.

She scoffed. "Just hope it works out better than last time."

"But," Martha began hesitantly, "what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" The Doctor looked over at her. "'You're not alone'," she repeated.

"I don't know," he told her, honestly.

"You've got Rose?" she asked. "An' friends like me? Is that what he meant?"

The Doctor shook his head, as Rose wrapped her arm around his. "That'd be nice, but I don't think so. Sorry."

"Then what?" Martha persisted.

The TARDIS was in sight. "Doesn't matter," he said. "Back to the TARDIS, off we go."

But Martha wasn't letting the matter drop. Even as they continued down the street, she asked, "He said 'last of your kind'. What does that mean?"

"Just that," Rose told her. "The war, the one that destroyed his planet? All of his people are gone, too."

Martha stopped walking, and the Doctor and Rose paused as well. He could see Martha taking it in, trying to say something, but unable. He made it easy for her, clarifying what Rose had said.

"I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords." As he said the words, the familiar, bitter, desperate feeling resurfaced, destroying the small glimmers of hope The Face of Boe's words had begun to stir. "The Face of Boe was wrong," he said, half to himself. "There's no one else." He turned, and walked up to the TARDIS, unlocking the doors.

Rose entered ahead of him, taking a seat in the captain's chair, and the Doctor followed, moving around the console, losing himself in the familiarity of the controls.

Martha finally entered, closing the doors behind her. "I'm sorry," she said. Then, "How? I--never mind."

He looked up at her, then dropped his gaze back to the console. She was curious, it was to be expected. He moved almost without thinking as he put the TARDIS into the vortex. He glanced at Rose, then back at Martha who'd moved nearer the console.

He'd told Rose--in detail. And it wasn't like Martha was a stranger. Alright, so they'd been travelling for only a few days, but she'd proven herself already, from their first adventure in the hospital. It was a simple question, however involved the answer.

"It was the last Great Time War," he said, and both girls looked up at him, evidently shocked to hear him speak. "My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost."

He took a breath. "Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even the burnt-orange sky." He looked up at the time rotor, his thoughts drifting back. He remembered that sky, and for a moment, allowed himself to revel in the memories he'd always taken for granted.

"The Citadel was enclosed in a mighty glass dome," he recounted, "shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever--slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song . . . ."

_--_

Rose watched him in awe as he spoke. It wasn't new to her, his description of Gallifrey, but the way he was saying it--it took her breath away. It was like poetry.

The last time he'd talked about it this openly, they'd been on that planet with the flying stingrays. Well, maybe he wasn't being quite as open as he'd been then. Now, he was just talking about the planet; then, he'd told her all about the family he'd left behind, the friends and even the enemies he'd lost.

But this time, there were no tears, no obvious guilt. He was remembering, and he was actually allowing himself to enjoy the memory.

Unbidden, the memory of her first Doctor, faced with a Dalek, came to mind. She remembered, clear as day, the desperation, guilt, and anger in his face. In that moment, she hadn't known if he'd ever be able to let go. But here he was, for the moment, at least, allowing himself to enjoy.

--

To be continued.


	8. One Last Trip?

Chapter 8, One Last Trip?

"'One last trip,' he said. 'Make up for you being kidnapped,' he said," Martha grumbled, as she stepped heavily over the TARDIS threshold.

"'Perfectly harmless,' he said," Rose joined in. "Never, _never_ listen when this idiot says 'harmless'."

Rose and Martha were dressed as if they were ready to hit the nightclubs. However, any such illusions were dispelled by the unconscious Doctor, whom they were at present half carrying, half dragging between them into the TARDIS. That, and the fact that he, and now they, were covered in thick, green slime.

They laid him down on the grating next to the console. Martha stooped to re-check his vitals, while Rose ran back outside for their gear: a couple of archery bows, and a few quivers of blunt-tipped arrows.

"Pulse is still steady," Martha reported when Rose returned. "I think he's just knocked out."

Rose huffed out a breath as she looked down at him. "Alright, we got him this far, let's take him to the med bay."

They were silent, intent on their task as they carried the Doctor through the TARDIS.

Martha shook her head. When the Doctor had told them to go get changed, that he was going to show them a side of London they'd never seen before, she and Rose had excitedly gone through the TARDIS' wardrobe, looking for just the right outfits.

They'd come back to find him in the console room dressed in his suit, yes, but his dress shirt and tie had been exchanged for a t-shirt and denim work shirt.

Martha should have guessed right then that their trip was doomed.

As they reached the med bay, they laid the Doctor on the floor again. "We should probably get him out of these," said Rose, kneeling to work his arm out of the sleeve of his slime-drenched suit jacket. Martha sighed and joined her in the task.

One pile of slime-covered clothes later, she and Rose managed to get a t-shirt and boxers-clad Doctor onto one of the exam tables.

A screen at the side of the table automatically came to life, and Martha moved to read it. "Some of this stuff looks familiar," she said, pointing at what was obviously a heart monitor readout. The rest she couldn't guess at. "Too bad it's in 'alien' 'stead of English," she added.

Rose pushed a button on the keyboard, and the 'alien' squiggles switched instantly to English. "And that about sums up what I know about that gizmo," Rose told her.

"Well, it looks alright, far as I can tell, him havin' two hearts an' all," Martha said. "Is his temperature usually that low?"

"Yeah, that's right," said Rose, peering at the screen.

Martha moved to check the Doctor again. No uneven pupil dilation. She couldn't find any distinct bumps on his head."I dunno, I think he just needs time to recover," she told Rose, as she shook more the green goop off from her hands. His hair was full of it.

"'Kay then," said Rose, tucking a sheet around him. "I guess we can go get changed, and get this mess sorted," she said, poking the pile of the Doctor's clothes with the toe of her dress boot.

--

Martha thoroughly enjoyed her shower, and was relieved to discover that it only took about three rinses to clean the slime from her hair. She changed into a grungy pair of jeans and a t-shirt that she'd borrowed from the TARDIS. They still had to deal with the Doctor and his things; she might have to take another shower, but she wasn't about to ruin her only outfit from home.

The Doctor was still asleep when she returned to the med bay. Rose had wiped his hands and face clean, and was in the process of trying to comb some of the slime out of his hair. After a few attempts, Rose laughed. Martha noticed she'd combed his hair so that it now stood straight up from his head. "It'll serve him right," said Rose, tossing the comb on a side table and getting up from her stool.

"So, laundry?" Martha asked, having glanced at the monitor and verified that the Doctor was still stable.

"Yep," Rose said, picking up half of the slime-covered pile of clothes. Martha noted she'd also opted for the jeans and t-shirt ensemble.

"Fun," said Martha, scooping up the rest, and following Rose out of the room.

Rose offered to use her laundry access, so they spread the Doctor's things out on the floor of her bathroom. The two of them sat, picking through the Doctor's pockets, piling up all of the bits, bobs, and gadgets that he kept in them.

A thought occurred to Martha as she worked. "Rose?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"What did he mean, the Doctor, when he told that woman he was rubbish at his own weddin'?"

Just before the migration-gone-wrong, the Doctor had been held up by a woman, apparently from his future, who'd been trying to give him a folder of something or other. He'd gone on about things not happening in order, making things confusing, and making him rubbish at weddings--especially his own.

Rose just shrugged. "Dunno," she said. "Could've just been rambling; he does that a lot," she continued, while she pulled what looked like a yo-yo from the Doctor's trouser pocket, tossing it onto the pile. "Don't think they really had weddin's on Gallifrey. They had this loomin' thing. Dunno." She threw the trousers into the laundry chute, and reached for his overcoat.

Martha, for her part, pulled a last, unidentifiable object from the outside pocket of the Doctor's suit jacket, and moved to the inside left breast pocket.

She was about to ask about looming when she felt a single, small, circular item, and froze. Making sure Rose was occupied, she turned her back slightly and withdrew a silvery ring. A ring that looked very much like an engagement ring.

Right, thought Martha, I'm not tossing this on the pile. She carefully slipped the ring into her jeans' pocket, then resumed her work. She risked a glance back at Rose, and was relieved to see her thoroughly involved in extracting about a mile's worth of cable from a coat pocket.

--

Martha showered and changed again, before heading back to the med bay. When she got there, the Doctor was awake and propped up in the bed, Rose sitting on the side of the bed, talking to him. She watched as Rose leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the forehead, before hopping down off the bed.

"Glad you decided to join us," said Martha, making her presence known as she fully entered the room.

"Martha!" the Doctor said happily. "Nice to be back," he told her, smiling. She noticed he still had a grip on Rose's hand.

"How're you feelin'?" Martha asked him.

"Eh, I'm alright," he said.

"Any idea why you were unconscious?" she quizzed.

"Besides being thrown by an angry mother dragon directly into a rotten dragon egg?" he asked. "No, haven't a clue," he told her with a grin.

"I'm gonna go get that tea," Rose told him, letting his hand go with a squeeze, and exiting the room. The Doctor quite obviously watched her go, tucking his hands behind his head.

Martha suddenly remembered what she'd hidden in her pocket, and approached the bedside, glad of Rose's departure. "Um, Doctor," she said, "we were washin' your suit for you while you were asleep--"

"Thanks, by the way," he interrupted. "Thanks for getting me back here, and taking care of all that."

"Yeah," she told him, dismissively. "But the thing is, we had to empty your pockets . . . " she noticed him pale at the words, "and I found this." She pulled out the ring, and handed it to him.

He snatched it away, and quickly hid his hand under the sheet that covered him. "Did, um," he began, "did Rose see it?" he finished in a whisper.

She shook her head, thinking her suspicions were rather confirmed. "Nope. I thought you might not want her to," she said, and watched him visibly relax. "Thought you might want to give it to her yourself?" she added.

The Doctor smiled. "As a matter of fact--"

"Give who what?" asked Rose from the doorway. She'd returned with a tray with three steaming mugs.

"Tea!" the Doctor exclaimed, completely ignoring the question. "Perfect! Just what an ailing body needs. A nice, superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin," he went on, as Rose walked up to the bed, shaking her head. She seemed to be quite used to the Doctor's avoidance tactics, and didn't press the matter.

Rose passed out the mugs, and the three of them sipped their warm beverages in silence. Until, that is, the Doctor said, "How 'bout one last trip? Somewhere perfectly harmless, to make up for this last fiasco," he offered.

Martha looked at Rose, and they managed about a second's worth of stoic expressions before they both cracked up into fits of laughter.

"What?" the Doctor asked, pitifully.

--

The end.

Yes, this chapter was based on the scene in "Blink" when Sally Sparrow meets the Doctor. However, he won't be going back to 1969 for a few episodes yet :)


End file.
